Published on January 09, 2018
Over the winter break two senior history majors attended the 2018 Biennial Convention for Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society, in the beautiful city of New Orleans. Both students, Alexa Potter and Adam Murphy, presented individual research projects. The students had the opportunity to share their respective projects on panels with fellow historians from across the country, gaining valuable feedback to improve their research. Alexa had this to say about the conference, "Presenting at a convention of this size was very valuable as an undergrad. I gained insight in the art of coherently presenting research in a way that captures the audience as well as challenges them. The Q&A portion provided very useful feedback on my paper along with future ideas to explore."
Alexa presented a paper coming from her honors thesis titled "There Must be Something in the Water: The Industrial Pollution of the Naugatuck River, 1850-1930." Adam, presented his paper which originated from his senior seminar, "A Professor's Experience in Indonesia: Examining the Partnership Between University of Kentucky and Bogor Agricultural College 1957-1966." He adds, "I received such valuable information from attending presentations of other historians. I attended presentations on a variety of topics including U.S-Congo diplomatic relations and Vietnam war protest music. Additionally, I attended a "how to" panel about growing successful student journals."
In addition to attending academic panels, the students found time to appreciate local history of New Orleans, like the French Quarter, as well as trying local foods like the variety of seafood and 'po'boys'. Alexa mentions, "The location of the convention in New Orleans provided a beautiful and historical backdrop to the four days of presentations." Adam adds, "This experience has shown me the importance of recognizing student research and allowing them to partake in experiences like these. I would like to thank Eastern CT State University for the continued effort to make this a priority. I would encourage any student to take advantage of opportunities big and small to present their research." Similarly, Alexa says, "I am honored to be a part of Phi Alpha Theta, and additionally, thankful to my advisors and Eastern for allowing me this opportunity."
